1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network device and network device management technique.
2. Description of the Related Art
SNMPv1 (Simple Network Management Protocol, SNMP version 1) is a protocol to manage a network device. Network device management using the SNMPv1 protocol is very popular because of simple specifications and implementation and is employed by various kinds of network devices.
However, since the SNMPv1 is poor in security, SNMPv3 capable of protecting an SNMP packet by communication encrypted using a secret key is standardized. Details of SNMPv3 are defined by RFC3411, RFC3412, RFC3413, RFC3414, RFC3415, RFC3416, and the like.
For more convenient and simple use of network devices, various protocols and architectures have been proposed. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2004-038956 and 2004-362594 disclose an arrangement for searching for a network device to provide a service and an arrangement for automatically setting up, e.g., an application and operation system to control network devices.
A plurality of corporations and standardization organizations are fostering specifications development to extend Plug and Play, which has been applied to local I/O-connected devices, to network devices.
For example, an OS has a simple PnP (Plug and Play) which automatically installs the driver of a printer connected to a network and reflects the configuration information of the printer on the driver setting. More specifically, the Standard TCP/IP Port Monitor of the OS acquires an IEEE1284 device ID from a device with Port Monitor MIB by using the SNMPv1 protocol. After acquiring the device ID, the OS selects a printer driver and installs it. After installation, the Standard TCP/IP Port Monitor acquires device information by using the SNMPv1 protocol and reflects the information on the driver setting.
However, a device having the SNMPv3 protocol and set to use only it cannot use the PnP function. For this reason, the user must manually select a printable driver and install it. Additionally, after driver installation, he/she must manually set the device configuration information necessary for driver setting on the UI of the driver.